Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge)   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • New Boeing 787 schedule leaves some wiggle room 4/10/08 • Snohomish says signs are fine -- elsewhere 4/10/08 • Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain 4/10/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, April 10, 2008 Wild Sky Wilderness poised to finally become reality The wilderness area in Snohomish County has long been a political football. By Jim Haley, Herald Writer A bill that would create a 106,000-acre wilderness area in eastern Snohomish County is expected to finally come before the U.S. Senate this week, possibly as early as today. Senate passage would create the Wild Sky Wilderness, which has had ups and downs in both houses of Congress since it was introduced in 2002. Three times, the measure passed in the Senate but languished in the House. Led by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., the Democratic-controlled House approved Wild Sky a year ago, but about 62 federal land-use measures were stymied in a Senate bill in 2008. The House vote is good until the current session of Congress ends late this year. That logjam is about to end, aides to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Wednesday. Murray is the prime Wild Sky sponsor in the Senate. Aides said the public lands bill has been scheduled for a vote, which could come today. This would be the first wilderness created in Washington state in more than two decades. Wild Sky would include both backcountry ridges and peaks as well as low-elevation, old-growth forests surrounding salmon and steelhead spawning grounds. House opposition earlier was fueled by concerns that about 13,000 acres of the site might not meet wilderness standards. The wilderness would be north of U.S. 2 and the towns of Index and Skykomish. The area straddles the Beckler River and the north fork of the Skykomish River within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Part of the new wilderness would be adjacent to the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness, which was established in 1984 and was named after the late senator from Everett. A wilderness designation gives the land strong federal protection, although some compromises are built into this bill. Those include allowing some areas to be used by large Scout groups, letting float planes continue using a large, high-mountain lake, and creating a paved recreation trail that would accommodate people in wheelchairs. While environmentalists have pushed hard for passage, the Wild Sky creation has run into strong opposition from farmers and ranchers, and from some sport enthusiasts such as snowmobilers, who would be unable to ride within wilderness boundaries. Most recently, a vote on the bill had been held up by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who was protesting proposed spending in a collection of public lands legislation. The wilderness designation bans use of motorized vehicles, but allows a whole array of outdoor activities, including hiking, hunting, fishing and rafting.

1. Teen dies after Granite Falls crash 2. Bikini coffee stands to be regulated as adult entertainment 3. Sultan brothers plead guilty in death of rival gang member 4. Body found after house catches fire north of Bothell 5. Gregoire unveils budget with deep cuts, will press for tax hikes 6. Grief and gratitude expressed for four slain officers 7. Two teenagers hurt in crash near Granite Falls 8. Friends and family honor Clearview couple who loved always 9. Roe appointed interim county prosecutor 10. Arlington's budget is ‘bare bones' 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million